Pages

Monday, April 11, 2016

I: Imagination Grows Here: How to Build a Fairy Garden #AtoZChallenge

I am going to start this post off with a confession: I have a brown thumb. I kill almost every plant I am put in charge of. I don't set out to do it, but somehow I forget about them and don't water them, or I don't keep track and water them too much. I try not to add new plants to my house for this very reason, but in this case, I couldn't stop myself! I've wanted to make a fairy garden for such a long time!!

Five or six years ago I told the kids about a fairy circle in our front yard. It was a ring of darker grass off to one side of the yard. The kids had fun playing in the circle and bringing gifts to the fairies that lived there. Over time the ring has gotten larger and somewhat faded. The kids still talk about it, but it's harder to see. I wanted them to have a fairy garden that would be more permanent.

This fairy garden is confined to a planter. I bought the planter and fairy supplies at our local Big Lots. The plants I picked up at Lowe's. I made sure to find something labelled "hardy" and something that doesn't mind low temperatures. Hopefully I can keep this one alive!

We spent the Saturday before Easter shopping and running errands. The kids were very excited when I told them about the project and couldn't wait to get home and get started. After we unloaded the van, we flipped the planter upside down and drilled a few drainage holes. Then we placed a liner in it that will prevent things from falling out, but still allow water out.

We filled the bottom two-thirds with some old dirt we had. I figured it was just a space holder really. We added a bag of good potting soil on top of that. Next, I let the kids add their fairy ornaments. Benjamin had picked out a fence that fit around the outer edge of the pot. Frances had a table and chair set, while Henry contributed the stone path. I had splurged and bought the bridge and house because I couldn't decide between the two!

After we had an idea of where the ornaments would go, I flipped the tray of succulents upside down and cut through the bottom layer. This allowed me to pull apart pieces of my desired shape and place them in the pot. The kids helped decide what shape each piece needed to be and how large to cut it. We placed the plants in the planter around the fairy ornaments and made sure everything fit in nicely. I even had enough plants left to fill up some other pots we had in the front yard.

I placed our new fairy garden, as well as our newly filled pots, on either side of the steps to the front porch. Then I added two solar lights and some other yard decorations we already had. My front porch area now has a nice, new Springtime look. If only the weather would get the memo!

Ready for some other Springtime projects? Check these out!

Karen of Baking in a tornado has fruited chicken lettuce wraps. These light and refreshing wraps use fresh fruits and veggies of the spring season.